Balance
by ghost02
Summary: My version of Angelus' return. He leaves Los Angeles and goes to Sunnydale, where he encounters the First Evil, the SITs, and various other nuisances.
1. Prologue

TITLE: Balance  
AUTHOR: Kelso  
RATING: R  
SPOILERS: through "Salvage" (AtS episode 4x13) and "Storyteller" (BtVS episode 7x16)  
SUMMARY: When Angelus returns, he leaves Los Angeles and goes to Sunnydale, where he encounters the First Evil, the SITs, and various other nuisances.   
DISTRIBUTION: anywhere  
WEBSITE: see my author profile for the link  
DISCLAIMER: "Buffy" and "Angel" characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc.   
NOTE: Set soon after Angelus kills the Beast. 

Prologue 

The little bastard, a.k.a. Connor, just wouldn't give up. He doggedly pursued Angelus through the alleys and sewers of Los Angeles, no matter how tangled the trail became. He even managed to track it across rooftops. Angelus was becoming seriously pissed off. It was bad enough that snot was his (well, Angel's) son in the first place. But why couldn't he have at least stayed in Quor-toth and never darkened Angelus' dimension? 

The annoying kid wasn't alone, either. Faith and Wesley were with him, trying to bring three-to-one odds to bear against Angelus if they managed to catch him. The situation couldn't go on like this. Connor could track him in daylight, and Angelus' options were so much more limited then. He realized he had to make a stand soon. He was sick of playing games anyway. If Connor wouldn't back off on his own, he would have to be taught a serious lesson. It was time to stop running. 

Or more precisely, almost time. Angelus slowed until his lead was dangerously narrowed, so that the trio practically salivated at the prospect of capturing him. Then he put on a stunning burst of speed that left them reeling in his wake. Connor quickly recovered and set off in pursuit, but a winded Wesley fell well behind. As Angelus had expected, Faith dropped back to stay with him. The setup was as good as he was going to get. He had separated Connor from the pack. 

He rapidly led Connor a good two miles farther before he stopped, at bay, in a satisfactory location. He didn't doubt for a second that he could beat the kid at any sort of violent activity. Angel had been able to, even when pulling his punches, and Angelus was a better fighter than Angel could ever make. The ensuing scene was going to be short and ugly. Backed against the brick wall of a shabby hardware store, Angelus waited. 

Connor soon loped up and halted 20 feet away. "You've stopped running. Good. We can finish this now." 

"Exactly what I was thinking," Angelus agreed. 

"I want to see your true face when I kill you," Connor continued. "I've been preparing for this my whole life." 

Angelus shrugged and obligingly morphed. He fought better in demon face anyway. Prepared, he studied Connor and read the blatant overconfidence that would prove the child's downfall. He truly thought he could win, which meant Holtz had raised an idiot. "Show me what you have," Angelus ordered. "No holding back." 

Connor nodded shortly and leaped forward with a fancy kick that might have surprised a less experienced opponent enough to give him the advantage. Angelus, however, ducked, grabbed the kid, and threw him face first into the dirty bricks. Connor spun around and lunged at him again. Angelus met him halfway and swatted him away, hurling Connor against the wall once more. Superior reflexes, however, enabled Connor to bounce back quickly even though he had taken the bulk of the damage so far. 

They proceeded to trade a flurry of insignificant blows before Angelus drew out of range. He couldn't afford to waste too much time baiting Connor. While still fully confident he could take down the boy without breaking a figurative sweat, he preferred not to simultaneously face a Slayer and a former Watcher. He had to provoke Connor into giving him a huge opening so he could finish matters and have time to escape. "Come on, you little bastard," he taunted. "Is that all you've got?" 

Connor swiped the blood from his mouth and flung himself at Angelus. It was the ideal opportunity. His "son" only managed to land a few minor hits before Angelus' powerful blows downed him. 

Connor tried to put up a fight, but Angelus had little trouble pounding away at his vulnerable body. He had more pent-up rage than Connor, more skill, and better technique. Plus, he was just plain stronger. With every punishing blow, bone crunched beneath his fists or blood spurted from a fresh wound. Connor soon withdrew into his best attempt at a defensive posture, which lengthened his existence just slightly. Only when the body was battered to a pulp did Angelus withdraw. Connor let out a gasping cry that might have been "Dad" or something quite similar, but Angelus found that he didn't care as the limp figure slid to the ground at his feet. 

Satisfied with this significant accomplishment, he brought his bloody hands up to his mouth to carefully lick them clean. Beating the shit out of someone always brought him a rare sense of joy, and the fact that the someone in this case had been Connor certainly didn't hurt matters. 

Of course, there remained the little problems of Faith and Wesley, who had to be closing in. Abandoning the ruined body, Angelus lithely leaped onto the nearest rooftop and crouched to avoid being spotted. He had enough time to straighten his clothing and start to become bored before Faith appeared on the street below, moving at a steady jog. He knew the second she spotted Connor's body because her pace changed to a sprint. The amusement value of watching her try to find a pulse on the creepy kid lasted until several police cars pulled up nearby. 

Angelus' last glimpse of Faith showed her cornered before the uniformed officers, making no attempt to fight her way free. It seemed she had developed a conscience during her stint in prison. Or, as Angelus preferred to phrase it, she'd gone soft. Either way, it worked to his advantage. He bet this time when they locked Faith up, they'd throw away the key. He shrugged. That possibility suited him just fine; she'd be out of his hair. 

Faith's capture meant two down, one to go. Which meant it was time to find Wesley. Angelus bet he had probably spotted the police scene with Faith and run away rather than be arrested or detained himself. He was likely on his way back to the hotel at that very moment to break the bad news. 

Carefully avoiding the views of those on the street below, Angelus crossed to the other side of the building and jumped down to retrace Faith's steps. Wesley's trail branched off a couple of blocks away, as expected leading in the direction of the hotel. After traveling several more streets Angelus caught sight of his prey and worked his way to the shadows behind him. Wesley was hurrying, making some attempt to remain vigilant but looking more concerned with returning home to report the fates of Connor and Faith. Then, predictably, he would help the gang try to regroup from their latest loss. They ought to just admit they were doomed and give up, making matters easier all around, but they were too stupid and self-righteous to ever do that. 

Unless, maybe, they lost Wesley too. With a fang-filled grin, Angelus closed in on his latest victim. 

Unluckily, as he moved his foot caught against a loose piece of brick on the ground and the scraping sound was just enough to alert Wesley to his presence. He was more aware of his surroundings than Angelus had expected and turned brandishing a stake. Angelus dodged, but not quickly enough to avoid injury. The stake struck him and a stabbing pain radiated throughout his chest. He looked down. The wood was embedded barely an inch from his heart. He reached down and worked it out, keeping a watchful eye on his enemy all the while. "Pretty good shot, Wes. And congratulations. You finally grew a pair. Who would have ever predicted it?" 

Slowly backing away, Wesley replied, "Self preservation. Anyone would have done the same." 

"Deliberately provoked me? I think not." Angelus stalked forward. 

Wesley continued to edge backward. "I knew you would be coming. You're trying to pick us off." 

"And it's working, isn't it? Though I was surprised Faith didn't run back there." 

"She's changed. You ought to try it." 

"What, become 'good' like your little gang?" Angelus laughed. "Been there, lived inside Angel, didn't like it for a second. Anyway, enough talk and not enough blood. Goodbye, Wesley." 

He lunged forward. Wesley, frantically feeling for even a makeshift weapon, landed in a heap across the street. Angelus closed in again. Wesley jumped up, a pathetically small knife in hand. Angelus knocked him back once more, this time into the condemned building behind him. He paced closer; Wesley threw the knife at him before turning and running. 

Batting the weapon out of the way was the work of a second. Following Wesley was a bit trickier. He had darted down an alley and vanished from sight. He couldn't have run all the way to the other end in those few seconds and there were no doors the length of the alley. Therefore, he must be hiding amidst the disgusting trash littering the place. 

"Come on, Wesley," Angelus called as he began his hunt. "You know I'll find you. Might as well make it easy on yourself. As easy as it's going to get, at least." 

No response. Angelus shoved aside a row of trash cans. No Wesley. He wasn't behind or inside the dumpster, either. That left...a ragged cardboard box with stains down the sides. Angelus sauntered over and prodded it with his foot. "Not much of a hiding place, but I suppose you had to try." He reached toward the open top to drag Wesley out by the hair, when his hand hit an invisible barrier. "What the hell is going on?" He tried again, and again the barrier stopped him. "What the fuck is the problem?" 

Wesley's muffled voice emerged from below. "This is a a street person's box." 

"'Street person'? Political correctness has really gone too far. You mean homeless." 

"The box is a home, of a sort, since it is occupied by a street person," Wesley clarified. "Enough of a home, anyway, to provide me with sanctuary from you." 

Unfortunately, Angelus realized, Wesley was right. The barrier wasn't going anywhere and he would have to be an idiot to come out of the box before the safety of dawn. Damn homeless people, getting illusions about themselves. What was the world coming to? The amusement value of seeing the former Watcher huddled up in a dingy cardboard structure was outweighed by the sheer inconvenience of the situation. Finishing Wesley off now had ceased to be a viable option. No, that little task would have to wait for later. 

Angelus backed off, staring at his enemy. "It's your lucky night. I've got worse things to do than to waste my time sitting around here waiting for the sun to come up, so I'll spare you this time. Just remember, Wes, you owe me." He turned and sauntered away, considering his options. He saw only two that held much appeal at the moment. The first was to remain in Los Angeles and continue to spar with Angel's remaining friends. The second? Pay a visit to Sunnydale and pursue bigger game. 

The decision wasn't very hard to make. 

end prologue   
  
_  
Don't hate me because I killed Connor off; hate me because I enjoyed doing it. ;) And hey, I spared Wesley, who has become far cooler than Connor could ever dream of being. _

_Next time: Angelus arrives in Sunnydale only to find that things have changed since his last visit. _


	2. Sunnydale

Previously (in prologue): Angelus killed Connor and watched as the police caught Faith. Unable to kill Wesley (who was saved by the barrier protecting a homeless person's box), Angelus decided to go to Sunnydale. 

Balance 1/? 

A few hours later, Angelus lurked in the bushes across the street from Buffy's house and looked on in fascination. Things had certainly changed in Sunnydale. 

He examined the crowd of people on Buffy's lawn. He saw Buffy herself, of course, plus her do-gooder friends, Spike, an unfamiliar young man, and a pack of teenage girls. All looked armed for patrol. He began to count the number of girls but lost interest after reaching 12. The amount seemed neverending, possibly because the girls all wore one of two expressions: foolhardy bravado or deep apprehension. Angelus wouldn't have wanted any of them at his back in a fight. 

He continued to watch as they walked away down the street in one huge clump. He'd identified Buffy, Spike, Giles, Xander, Anya, and Dawn. That left Willow and Tara unaccounted for. Until Angelus picked up on the sole heartbeat coming from inside Buffy's house. 

After making sure his enemies were out of sight, he crept closer to the building. He couldn't sense Tara, but Willow's presence was strong. That was good. In fact, it was ideal. 

He would begin the game by leaving her dead body for Buffy to find. 

***** 

Angelus tested the front door of Buffy's house. It was unlocked. He eased it open and slid inside. As he'd expected, no one had ever revoked Angel's invitation. He took a moment to orient himself, then headed into the living room to find Willow seated at a cluttered desk. 

He hovered for several seconds before she looked up and noticed him. "Angel. Hi." 

"Close, but not quite right. I can see where you might make that mistake, though. We do look a lot alike." He waited for the realization of his true identity to strike her. He wanted Willow to know who he really was. The more fear on her part, the more fun on his. 

"Angelus," she said in a tone that was more statement than question. She slowly stood, but she had nowhere to run. 

"Willow," he responded. "It's good to see you again, especially like this. All alone. Unprotected. Without even Tara around. What a pity." 

"Tara died last year," she replied. 

"Oh. Too bad. I mean, too bad I didn't get to kill her. You, on the other hand..." He edged nearer. 

"That's close enough," Willow informed him. 

"I don't think so. How can I bite you or break your pathetic little neck if I'm here and you're way over there?" Angelus took another step. 

He was doomed to go no farther. Willow raised her hands, her eyes turning pitch-black, and rattled off an incantation that resulted in an unseen force flinging him back against the wall, where he stuck like a bug that had been pinned. Iron bars seemed to grow out of the floor around him, neatly sealing him into a prison in the middle of the Summers' living room. Once the cage was complete, forming a solid square around Angelus, he found himself able to move again. He gingerly pushed away from the wall, testing his limbs, and eyed Willow through the bars with a new measure of respect. She had done a thorough job; the metal ceiling and floor added that special touch, ensuring that he couldn't punch his way through either to freedom. He felt the bars of the cage as he addressed Willow. "You've been working out since the last time we saw each other. That was quite a display of power there. I had no idea you'd advanced so far." 

"Oh, I have powers I haven't even begun to tap into yet, Angelus. But don't feel too bad about getting captured so easily. You never stood a chance." 

He studied Willow. She'd seemed pretty damn prepared for his arrival. "I take it you knew about me in advance and had time to set a trap." 

"Yeah. Phone call from Wesley. He didn't have much time to talk but he did fill us in on the basics. He said the gang had to bring you back, then you escaped, and we should watch out just in case you decided to come here instead of staying in Los Angeles." 

"He finally remembered what a telephone is for, huh? And here I was, thinking he wouldn't have the balls to crawl out of that box till dawn, at least. What timing." 

Willow nodded. "It worked for us, anyway. Speaking of which..." She picked up a cell phone from the desk and calmly placed a call. "Hey, it's over. Come on back." She took her time replacing the phone before she turned back to Angelus. 

He momentarily gave up on trying to find a weakness in his prison and settled back to dig for information. "I'm hurt that Buffy isn't here to greet me. Doesn't she care anymore?" 

"She made a judgement call. Don't worry. She'll be back in a minute or so. And so far only she, Giles, and I know the truth about you. We didn't want the others to get involved until you were locked up. I knew I could handle you alone, and if they interfered they would just have gotten in the way." 

"You didn't tell Xander?" 

"He probably would have insisted on staying or sneaking back to try to help," Willow pointed out. "Not worth the risk. He'll find out about you soon enough anyway." 

"Hmm." Angelus looked around the room. It was crowded with blankets, pillows, books, and papers and most resembled a library/bedroom. Some seriously weird shit was definitely going on. "Don't suppose you'd care to give me any more details about what's up around here?" 

"Nope. I'll leave it up to Buffy to decide what you should know." 

With a frustrated growl, Angelus turned away. His night had taken a significant turn for the worse. Somehow, he'd found himself stuck in another goddamn cage at the mercy of hated humans who wanted to stuff his soul back into him. It really wasn't fair. He spent the next few minutes running various escape plans through his head before he picked up on the noises of a large group of people approaching. Buffy and her pals had returned. 

He heard Xander's voice before he saw him. "Hey, Will, we're back. What's up?" Xander stepped into the room, spotted Angelus, and stopped dead in his tracks, causing a pileup behind him. "Angel in a cage in the living room? Life can't get any worse than this." 

"Um, Xander, that's Angelus," Willow informed him. 

"I was wrong," Xander corrected himself. "Life *can* get worse." 

Buffy shoved past him, with Spike and the other Scoobies at her heels. "Everyone inside and I'll fill you in." 

Angelus could only watch as girl after girl after girl filed in. Either Buffy was operating an illegal boarding house out of her home, or something even screwier was going on. Willow took Spike, Xander, Anya, Dawn, and the nerdy-looking young guy aside to briefly explain the situation, while Buffy strode up to the cage to confront Angelus. 

He got in the first question. "What's going on here? You running a school, Buff? Some sort of orphanage?" 

Giles looked at Buffy. "We may as well tell him the truth up front. If he's staying here for any length of time, we won't be able to keep the situation secret." 

Buffy nodded. "You're right. Okay, Angelus, these girls are all potential Slayers. We call them Potentials, or Slayers-in-Training, or just plain SITs. They're gathered here because the First Evil is back and is trying to eliminate all of them. Not to mention the rest of us and pretty much anything else that is good in the world." 

Angelus studied the girls. "They're potential Slayers? Really? I never would have guessed. The sensation of power radiating off of them is absolutely stunning by its very lack." 

One of the girls, a brunette who was holding Willow's hand, sneered at him. "Pretty high and mighty, aren't you? Well, who's locked up and who isn't?" 

"Willow got me, and that's an honor. I'm sure she'd have no problem wiping the floor with the lot of you combined. If you were her enemies instead of her little buddies, you'd be in my position or worse right now. Probably worse." 

"Who *is* he?" one of the Potentials questioned. 

"A vampire," Dawn told her. 

"Why don't you just stake him?" the other girl pressed. 

"I'll explain later," Buffy interjected. "Please, all of you girls, go in the basement now." 

"Even me?" the brunette demanded. 

"Please, Kennedy," Willow requested, and her scowling friend slowly obeyed. 

"You too, Andrew," Buffy instructed. 

With one last wide-eyed glance at Angelus, the nerd scuttled after the girls, who mostly just looked like a herd of confused sheep as they straggled away. 

Angelus regarded his remaining opponents and noticed something strange. Spike was hovering around Buffy, acting like a puppy desperate for a treat. More surprisingly, and suspiciously, Buffy was allowing him to do it. "Don't tell me Spike has been accepted into your little gang as an equal. What is wrong with this picture?" 

"Spike has changed," Buffy recited. "He has a soul, and *he* wasn't cursed with his. He actually went out and got it on his own. He's become a valued member of the team." 

"Plus, Buffy had sex with soulless Spike most of last year," Anya added matter-of-factly. 

Angelus looked at Buffy through new eyes. "Wow, Buff, I'm impressed. You really went slumming." 

Spike growled and took a step forward. 

"Oh, come off it," Angelus taunted. "You're the little house pet now. You can't do anything to hurt me or it'll just torture your miserable soul even more. Guess I'm safe, huh? Oh, don't tell me poor Spikey is gonna cry." Things were really looking up. It seemed he would be able to have fun despite being locked up. At the very thought of Spike's condition, he began to laugh. 

"What's so humorous?" snapped Giles. 

"That bit about Spike having a soul is even funnier than Cordelia telling me she gives a better ride than a Mustang, and I didn't think anything could ever top that one." 

"Cordelia said that to you?" Xander said with a frown. "Why would she do that?" 

"Oh, that's right. You guys are behind the times. Buff, you ever wonder what Angel was doing with all his free time over there in Los Angeles? I mean, since he rarely bothered to pick up the phone even to say 'hi.'" 

"He didn't have much free time," Buffy insisted. "He was too busy making the city safe. Los Angeles is a big place." 

"You actually believe that bullshit? Of course, you *have* been kept out of the loop, for reasons that will soon become obvious. Well, pull up a cushion and settle down, and I'll tell you a story that'll make your hair curl. The truth hurts like a bitch." Angelus waited expectantly. 

Buffy tried to act nonchalant, but he could sense she was dying to hear his words. Finally she gave in and nodded. "You have 30 seconds. Make it quick." 

Giles, Anya, Xander, Buffy, Willow, Spike, and Dawn promptly settled in around the room. Angelus took a moment to gaze at his rapt audience and heighten the tension. Though they were trying to hide it, some better than others, he could tell they were burning with curiosity. Seeing that he was just as eager to let them in on the truth, he didn't hold out for long. "The real story started a few years ago, when an evil law firm brought Darla back to life as a human. Dru turned her, then Angel went through a dark period and screwed Darla in the vain hope of losing his soul. Said coupling resulted in the first and so far only vampire pregnancy on record before Darla committed suicide so her apparently human son Connor could be born. Then an old enemy kidnapped Connor and carted him into a hell dimension. When he returned several weeks later, he was a teenager with a vendetta against his vampire father and he stuck Angel in a box in the ocean for summer vacation. After that--" 

"Wait," Xander interrupted. "I need to write all of this down." 

Angelus looked at Buffy. "I was just getting warmed up. That interruption doesn't count against my 30 seconds, does it?" 

She waved an impatient hand. "Go on." 

He did so. "Don't laugh, but Cordelia became a higher being before returning to this plane. Angel decided Cordelia was the new love of his life--I still can't figure out why--and the feeling seemed mutual, but then the world went to hell, and Cordy fucked Connor, and the gang brought me back, and --" 

Buffy lurched to her feet, looking ill. "That's it. Time's up." 

"But there's more." 

"I think I've heard enough for now." With that, Buffy nearly ran from the room, with Spike and Giles pursuing her. 

Their departures left Willow, Dawn, Anya, and Xander, who marched right up to Angelus' cage. 

"Was that story really true?" Anya snapped. 

"Every sorry word of it." 

Xander shook his head. "Nope. I don't buy it. You laid it on way too thick. I mean, Cordelia as a higher being? Who in their right mind would believe a lie like that?" 

"Cordelia has grown greatly as a person since she moved to Los Angeles. She is no longer merely a self-serving, shallow bitch. She has expanded her mind and become a champion, a protector of justice who puts others first. She... aw, hell, you're right. It *is* unbelievable. But it's still true." 

"Even if that part really happened, where's your miracle child?" Xander pressed. 

"Oh, he's dead." 

"Dead? How did that happen?" Willow asked. 

Angelus immediately realized that mentioning Connor's demise might have been a tactical error, but since the topic had arisen, blunt honesty *was* one of his fortes. "I kind of accidentally on purpose beat him to death right before I came to Sunnydale." 

The four gaped at him in slack-jawed horror. "You murdered your own son?" Dawn cried. 

"He completely deserved it," Angelus defended himself. "If you'd ever met the prick, you'd understand why." 

Judging by their reaction, they had no interest in understanding. As a group, they scowled and then stalked away, making their disgust and disapproval blatantly clear. Like Angelus cared. As long as he could play mind games with them, he would be satisfied. He could hardly wait until Buffy confirmed his version of the events in Los Angeles. 

***** 

_No, Angelus won't remain in that cage forever, but for the time being he has to be there._

_Next part: Buffy wants answers about Angel and Cordelia; Buffy introduces the SITs to Angelus._


	3. The SITs Suck

_Previously: Angelus went to Sunnydale and tried to kill Willow, but she imprisoned him in a cage in Buffy's living room. Buffy told him about the return of the First Evil and the SITs; Angelus informed Buffy of Connor's birth and Angel's feelings for Cordelia._

Balance 2/? 

"So Angel's soul is stuck inside a jar somewhere and you don't know where? And without this jar, we aren't getting Angel back? Why didn't Wesley happen to mention this little detail when he called?" 

Angelus grinned as he heard this reaction taking place nearby. Buffy had, as he had expected, flown to the kitchen phone to get in touch with the remnants of the Fang Gang to confirm Angelus' story. Not only had Gunn backed up every word of it, he'd gifted Buffy with even more bad news. Bad from her standpoint, anyway. Most of it was good in Angelus' eyes. He listened to Buffy's subdued goodbye before she came back into the living room, shoulders slumped. 

"Sorry I had to break things to you, Buffy." He reconsidered. "Well, no, actually I'm not, but let's be realistic. You had to find out sooner or later and I just love delivering bad news." 

"I called Los Angeles and talked to Gunn," she said in a small voice. "You were being honest. I can't believe it. I guess in the back of my mind, I always thought that someday..." Her voice trailed off; then she whirled on him. "How could he do that to me? What happened to me being the only person he's loved in 243 years? Was that all one big lie? I guess it must have been. I thought I could believe in him, and to find out all the things he's done... It isn't right. I mean, I know with my relationship with Spike wasn't the brightest move, but you try making intelligent decisions after being yanked out of heaven and see how quickly you recover. Besides, you didn't even know about Spike and me till just now. It's not like I ever planned to tell you, either. So what's your excuse for pulling this crap with Cordelia?" 

Angelus has been fully prepared to let Buffy have her rant out before he spoke his piece, but the way she had switched to equating him with Angel royally pissed him off. She was clearly having major trouble differentiating between the soul and the demon, and had stooped to blaming Angelus for all of Angel's shortcomings. "Let's get something straight here. Angel fell in love with Cordelia. I didn't. I'm the smart one, remember? Personally, I can't stand the bitch. Her type is just way too common. You, on the other hand, are unique. I seriously underestimated you the first time around. Angel could have done a hell of a lot worse. I mean, the Cordy thing is proof of that. You really weren't so bad after all." 

Buffy frowned, but not at the backhanded compliment, as her next words revealed. "So what did Angel see in her? What about her made him fall in love with her?" 

"Proximity? Fuck if I can figure it out. It makes even less sense than Connor's existence did. Fortunately, some mistakes are correctable. I want to assure you that I do not and never will have any interest in Cordelia beyond the killing of her." 

Buffy stared at him. "Why is it that Spike with his soul is almost like he was without it, only a lot more whiny, but you're like a different person?" 

"Maybe I'm not so different. Maybe I'm just pissed that the soul made me do stupid things. Loving-Cordelia stupid. Having-a-kid stupid. But now I'm me again, and my feelings for you are as strong as ever. Think about it: I could have just stayed in Los Angeles like Angel did. I mean, I left six of his friends alive. But instead of demolishing them, I cared enough about you to come back to Sunnydale and try to torture you." Seeing her stance soften, he pressed his advantage. "I could help you, you know. I don't have any great love for the First Evil. As far as I'm concerned, there's only room for one of us around here. Come on, Buff, just think about it. We'd make a great team." He gave her the limpid-eyed Angel gaze she always fell for. He could practically read the thoughts running through her mind: Angel is still in there, he's a strong fighter, I need more help, I still love him, blah, blah, blah. 

Yes, she was tempted; he could see it in her eyes as she swayed a little closer to the cage. "I can trust you?" 

"I'll give you my word, if you want." Angelus crept nearer to the bars, wishing Willow had set them just a bit farther apart. The few inches of space between them would have to do, though. 

He almost had Buffy. She took one step, then another, before she slowly reached over and grasped one of the bars. Angelus held himself still, careful not to scare her away. He had to gain her trust so she'd open the lock and let him out. When he didn't move, she inched up, her face just outside the cage. His lack of movement must have reassured her, since she gradually rose until their lips were separated only by the width of the bars. Then not even by that, as Buffy leaned forward and began to kiss him. 

Their lips had barely touched when the truly horrendous squawking noise that was Dawn's voice ruined the moment. "Buffy! What are you doing? Ew! Lips away from the vampire!" 

Buffy jumped back like she'd been scalded by hot water. "No! Yuck! I was kissing evil, soulless lips, and that is just too wrong for words." 

"Hey, you don't hear me bitching about touching soulful Slayer lips," Angelus countered, insulted. 

Buffy merely shuddered and walked away, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. 

"Remember what I said," Angelus called after her retreating back. "The offer stands." 

Dawn planted herself in front of the cage and frowned at him. "You know, she wouldn't go near you with a 10-foot pole except she's still kind of confused about her feelings for Angel. She doesn't love you and the only reason she hasn't staked you yet is because she wants to get Angel back." 

Angelus glared at her. He was just as obsessed with Buffy as ever and he had to prove it, without any snotty little sisters getting in the way. In the end, he said the only thing he could. "Fuck off, Dawn." 

Following the exits of Buffy and Dawn, the SITs began to filter back into the living room, accompanied by Andrew and Spike. Angelus was prepared to ignore the entire pack until Andrew crept close to his cage and tremblingly fixed a video camera upon him. 

Angelus stared at him. 

Andrew stared back, looking simultaneously terrified and fascinated, before he blurted, "You don't scare me. I trust Buffy to keep us all safe." 

_'Moron_,' thought Angelus. Aloud, he merely asked, "What's the camera for?" 

"Um, I'm thinking about making a documentary." 

"Huh." Angelus was quiet for a moment, thinking, as Andrew finished positioning his camera. "Hey, Spike," he finally called. 

After a brief hesitation Spike sidled over to the cage. "Yeah?" 

"There's something I don't get." 

"Just one thing? Right, and what would that be?" 

Angelus pointed at Andrew. "Who the hell is he, and why is he playing the part of resident dimwit that Xander used to fulfill admirably?" 

He didn't get an answer to his question, but then, he hadn't really expected one. 

A good hour later, Angelus was still awake. It was too damn noisy to allow him any peace in which to nap and restore his energy. The room had been invaded by chirping, tittering nitwit girls who acted like he was a zoo exhibit. They huddled about, casting coy glances toward his cage and giggling behind their hands. 

Angelus cringed as he heard one particular comment, uttered in a dreamy tone. "Do you see those muscles? Those eyes? Luscious pools of deep chocolate. I could drown in them." 

It wouldn't have been quite so bad except that the person saying it was Andrew. Angelus turned away in disgust. The last thing he needed was to have that nerd mooning over him. 

"Sounds like someone has a crush on you, Angelus," Spike said with an annoying smirk from beside his cage. 

Angelus turned a look of hate upon him. "Just wait until I get free, you sorry excuse for a vampire." 

Spike shrugged and sauntered away, trying to look unaffected, but Angelus knew he had unnerved the younger vampire. A threat from Angel, he could laugh off. A threat from Angelus, on the other hand, was a much more serious matter. That fact didn't stop Spike from being a pain in the ass, though. He quickly joined Andrew across the room and struck up a conversation, which Angelus easily overheard. 

"So, you like Angelus, do you?" Spike began. 

"Oh, yes!" Andrew exclaimed. "Only..." He looked down. "I know the difference between fantasy and reality. Angelus could never be interested in... certain people." 

Spike clapped a hand on Andrew's shoulder. "Buck up. I personally think 'Angelus and Andrew' has a nice ring to it." 

"Angelus and Andrew. Andrew and Angelus," Andrew repeated. "Sounds good either way." 

"Don't give up," Spike advised him. "There's something about vampires I bet you don't know, and it's a big something. You see, vamps? We're inherently bisexual." 

Andrew's face lit up. "Really?" 

"Really," Spike assured him. "In fact, I know from personal experience that Angelus here..." 

The vampire in question did his very best to tune out the rest of Spike and Andrew's conversation. When he got loose, he would make Spike pay, quite painfully. Seeing that he wasn't loose yet, however, he continued to suffer until Buffy and Dawn reentered the room several minutes later. He had never been so glad to see Buffy, but she had become all business. When Angelus attempted to catch her eye, she avoided his gaze. Disappointed, he settled in a corner of his cage and went back to eavesdropping on the SITs. 

Kennedy the troublemaker was at it again. "I dare you to go over to his cage and say hi," she whispered to one of the other Potentials. 

At this comment, Buffy's head swung around and she strode across the room to confront the girls. "What do you think you're doing, taunting a vampire?" 

"Just playing around," Kennedy replied sullenly. 

Buffy raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. "Look, stay away from Angelus, okay? I know it'll be hard since he's living in the middle of the main room in the house, but the possibility of him attacking any of you guys is just one more problem I don't want to have to deal with." 

"What's so bad about him?" Kennedy demanded. "He doesn't look that tough all locked up. Besides, Spike's a vampire too, but he gets to run around loose and you don't warn us about that." 

Buffy studied the mutinous faces surrounding her. "You won't just accept my word for it, will you? I guess I'll have to spell it out. Fine. Follow me. You too, Spike." She positioned Spike to the left of Angelus' cage as all the Potentials crowded around, their doughy little faces peering in upon the imprisoned vampire. 

"Don't stick your fingers through the bars," Dawn warned. "They might get bitten off." 

A few of the girls laughed uncertainly but none took the hint, much to Angelus' disappointment. The taste of freshly severed finger blood would have been quite uplifting. 

"Okay, Dawn, enough," Buffy chided. "And don't you have somewhere else to be?" 

"Yeah, sure." Dawn stomped off in a huff. 

Buffy turned back to the Potentials and began to pontificate. "Now, listen up: Angelus is inside the cage for a reason, and Spike is outside it, also for a reason. Angelus is not Spike. He is much more evil and vicious and unprincipled." 

"And a much worse dresser," Spike muttered. 

"That's Angel you're talking about," Angelus countered. "I have style. And unlike you, I own more than one shirt." 

"But they're all black, so it doesn't count." 

Following this exchange, the SITs looked less than convinced by Buffy's words. She glared at Angelus and Spike and tried again. "Spike has a soul. Angelus does not. He used to, when he went by the name Angel, but whenever he loses it he reverts to being Angelus and you don't want to be anywhere near him then." 

"You say he lost his soul," Rona noted. "How'd that happen?" 

"This time? His friends arranged for it to be extracted." 

"So his friends are our enemies," Kennedy declared. 

"No, they're our friends," Buffy corrected. 

Now all the girls looked confused. 

Buffy sighed and pointed at the vampire on the left, starting over. "This is Spike." She indicated Angelus. "And this is Spike on crack." 

Several of the girls nodded, seeming to grasp that analogy a bit better. Still, Angelus decided to help Buffy out. "If you want to give them an object lesson, just shove the one you like the least a little closer to the cage and I'll show them all what you're talking about." 

It might have been his imagination, but he thought he saw Buffy glance at Kennedy before she launched into a fresh lecture. 

end 2/? 

_Next time: Buffy lectures the SITs, again; Angelus points out a flaw in her reasoning. Angelus offers to get rid of the First Evil, for a price._


	4. Still Stuck, and the SITs Keep Sucking

_Previously: Angelus went to Sunnydale and tried to kill __Willow__, but she imprisoned him in a cage in Buffy's living room. Buffy told him about the return of the First Evil and the SITs; Angelus informed Buffy of Connor's birth and Angel's feelings for Cordelia. Andrew developed a crush on Angelus. Buffy warned the SITs to stay away from Angelus, who wanted to kill them. _

Balance 3/?

Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, people tramped in and out of the living room with no regard for Angelus' privacy. Naturally, no one thought to feed him in all that time. Bored, tired, and hungry, he took to studying the lock attached to the door at the front of his cage. It was a typical key lock, but for someone who was lacking the required key, that knowledge did not help much. He'd have a hard time prying it away from Buffy, who was barely willing to even look at him since Dawn's rude interruption. So then Angelus thought about how to take down the First Evil, should he feel inclined to do so. He also continued to eavesdrop on the others and learned all sorts of information he could use to taunt his adversaries.

Still, the time dragged by. When Buffy finally approached his cage and wordlessly shoved a small plastic bag through the bars, he was so ravenous he was even willing to tolerate foul pig's blood. Just this once. Only, as Angelus took his first swallow, he registered the fresh taste of human blood. He looked at Buffy, but she had already turned away. Slowly, he drained the remainder of the bag and considered the possible meanings of her generous gesture. If she was softening toward him, he stood a better chance at getting free.

Unfortunately, Angelus had no chance to test out his theory, since Buffy had not come alone. Literally everyone else followed her, dressed for patrol and armed with weapons. The chattering SITs took up most of the room, while the people who actually had names gathered closer to Angelus' cage. However, Buffy was clearly the center of attention.

She paced in front of the throng of Potentials, drawing all eyes. Only when silence had fallen, though, did she begin to speak. "Girls, listen up. This is very important. It's my duty to train you all to the best of my ability. When I die, one of you will be called as the next Slayer. I remember how helpless and confused I felt when I was chosen, and I don't want any of you Potentials to experience those unsettling emotions. I can help and guide you, be the sort of mentor you need in these trying times. We must band together to form an unstoppable force, because if there is even one missing link in the chain, the entire thing will fall apart on us. We need to go forward, unceasing, invincible, confident in our strength as a unit."

Angelus rolled his eyes. When the hell did Buffy become so damn preachy? Not to mention boring. Then he thought back over her words. "Excuse me. Question over here."

Buffy stopped and glanced toward his cage. "Yes, evil demon in the corner?"

"You're saying that if you die, one of these twits will become a Slayer?"

Buffy scowled. "Well, I didn't refer to my protegees as twits, but other than that you're right."

"Follow-up question, then. I always thought Faith was the carrier of the future Slayer line and you were basically a redundancy, but even overlooking that little detail, you died a couple years ago. You were dead for how long? Five months?"

Spike interjected, "One hundred and forty-seven days, not counting--"

Angelus interrupted. "Yeah, whatever." He calculated for a moment, confirming his suspicions, before he spoke again. "All right, Buffy, going by this line of reasoning, if a new Slayer was called that one time when the Master offed you and you stopped breathing for maybe two minutes, surely a new one should have been called when you were stone-cold dead in the ground for a whopping five months, so where the hell is she?"

Dead silence ensued. Buffy looked at Dawn. Dawn looked at Spike. Spike looked at Xander. Xander looked at Giles. Giles looked back at Buffy.

Then: "You're right, Angelus!" Buffy exclaimed. "We completely overlooked that fact! Giles, you're the Watcher. Get on the ball and start watching! We have a missing Slayer to find!"

The gang, looking sheepish and worried, scrambled to locate research material from every corner of the room. Angelus groaned and banged his head against the bars of his cage. Matching wits with the mental midgets of Sunnydale was severely taxing his patience. "What's happened to all of you?" he yelled. "Spike's become an ensouled loser, Willow is a walking bundle of unpredictable magic, Xander is a jilting dickwad, Giles is a deserting jerk, and Buffy alternates between mind-shattering insecurity and unbelievable pomposity. At least Anya never changes. And for once, I'm grateful Dawn's around. She remains comfortingly familiar in her irrelevancy."

Anya retrieved a book from behind the sofa and retorted, "What's it to you? You don't care what happens to us."

"That's where you're wrong." Angelus looked around the room. The attention was focused on him now, and he planned to take full advantage of the opportunity. "It's obvious that if I don't fix matters, you're all going to go down to defeat and I'll be dragged along with you. So I'm going to compromise my principles and help you out with your little problem. Namely, the return of the First."

All attempts at research stopped. Giles, Willow, Buffy, Spike, Anya, Dawn, and Xander moved closer to Angelus, with Andrew and the Potentials watching from behind them.

"Yeah?" Dawn challenged. "You think you have all the answers? So tell us, how do we destroy the First?"

"You don't."

Xander turned away. "Thank you, Angelus, for bringing hope into our lives."

"I'm nothing if not honest. But when I say you can't destroy the First, I don't mean you can't get rid of it."

"Well? How?" Willow pressed.

"Like I'm stupid enough to tell you and give away my one powerful bargaining chip in exchange for absolutely nothing. I want something in return, of course."

"I'm not sure we want to know the answer, but what would that be?" Giles asked.

"Oh, not much. Just Buffy."

"Oh, well, if that's all..." Xander began. "Wait--did you say Buffy? No fucking way. Not in a million years."

"Hold on," Buffy interrupted. "If it means we get rid of the First, it's worth it. We'll worry about other things afterwards. If we don't take down the First soon, none of us will even have a future to worry about."

"So you agree?" Angelus asked. "You'll come with me when all of this is over?"

She nodded. "Sure, if you know what you're talking about and it works. That's the deal." As some of the others began to protest, she raised her voice. "This bargain is between Angelus and me. Please stay out of it. Now, let's hear what he has to say."

Xander looked at Angelus with complete distrust. "Right. How do you expect to accomplish this thing that all of us working together for months haven't been able to make a dent in?"

"Well, the First can't be effectively fought through traditional means," Angelus explained, willing to talk since he'd gotten what he wanted. "You see, it's all about balance--the balance between good and evil. Haven't any of you ever heard about the consequences of performing extreme magic? Buffy's resurrection tipped the scales too far toward good, so the First came back as a counterweight. To get rid of the First, you have to dispose of some forces of good. I figure all of you SITs should do nicely. You certainly aren't serving any useful purpose now, so you wouldn't even be missed."

"You mean you want to kill us?" a brunette Potential said tentatively.

Angelus looked at her. "Are you volunteering to be the first victim?"

The girl backpedaled into the crowd without answering.

"He means kill you," Willow confirmed. "Only, Angelus, doesn't your return hurt things? Because Angel was good and you're evil, and that's a power shift right there."

"True, but when I was in Los Angeles I killed the Beast, which makes up for my presence. And my return is nowhere near as big a shift as the resurrection of a dead Slayer."

Kennedy lowered her voice and suggested to Willow, "We could let him take out the First and then stake him."

Naturally, Angelus heard the whispered comment. "Sorry, friend, but that plot won't work. If you staked me, the balance would be upset and you'd have the First right back again. I don't think any of you want that."

Kennedy turned back to Willow and hissed, "How do we know he's telling the truth?"

Angelus looked at Buffy, Giles, and Willow. "Is that a chance any of you want to take? Seeing that you've done so well in vanquishing the enemy without my help?"

"Wait," Anya objected. "I see a flaw in your plan. If you're right and killing the forces of good will get rid of the First, why is it trying to dispose of the Potentials?"

"Obvious answer, anyone with a brain would want those yammering idiots dead. But more to the point, there must be a key," Angelus speculated. "Not the Dawn sort of key, because one of those was more than enough, but some kind of failsafe. As long as that particular individual remains alive, the First can kill whoever it wants and still stick around. I just have to figure out who that person is."

"This is sounding more and more complicated the more you talk," Dawn pointed out.

"Yeah, why don't we just restore your soul and let Angel help us out instead of relying on his evil alter ego?" Xander wanted to know.

"You'd be shooting yourselves in the foot. Well, Spike rambling off to Africa and picking himself up a soul didn't help matters any. Now that I'm sans soul, though, things work out there. See, if you give me my soul back, to even things out you'd have to take Spike's away."

"No," Buffy proclaimed. "There's got to be another way. A way that doesn't involve the deaths or soul extractions of anyone good."

"Some general you are. You're not seriously thinking you can vanquish the oldest evil in existence without making at least a few sacrifices, are you?" Angelus allowed his gaze to slide toward Buffy. "But maybe only one death would be required. We could just kill you again..."

"No! She's our leader!" a random Potential yelped.

The others promptly agreed, and their shouts almost drowned out a pounding on the front door. However, Buffy heard it and waved for quiet. "Hey, we have a visitor. Let's hope it's good news for once." She peeked outside before pulling the door open. "Look, everyone!"

Angelus craned to see over the crowd. Whoever was there, if that person's arrival pleased Buffy, it probably meant bad news for him. He looked over Anya, around Giles, and finally at the newcomer.

It was Wesley. Definitely bad news, then. He stepped inside, bearing a cardboard box he sheltered with his body. "No touching. Let me just get this settled in a safe place first." He stopped dead and gazed around the cluttered house. "Oh. I suppose there is no admirably safe place in the midst of all this chaos. In that case..." He picked his way across the room and cleared a place on the mantel. "Don't even look at this box the wrong way. It contains very precious cargo."

"What?" the wide-eyed Potentials chorused.

Wesley drew himself up. "Angel's soul."

The ensuing silence was punctured by Angelus' heartfelt response of, "Oh, shit!"

TBC

_Next time: Anya and Xander make a mistake; Angelus comes up with an escape plan, but needs help to succeed._


	5. Unstuck

_Previously: Angelus went to Sunnydale and tried to kill __Willow__, but she imprisoned him in a cage in Buffy's living room. Buffy told him about the return of the First Evil and the SITs; Angelus informed Buffy of Connor's birth and Angel's feelings for Cordelia. Andrew developed a crush on Angelus. Buffy warned the SITs to stay away from Angelus, who wanted to kill them. _

Balance 4/? 

Following his triumphant arrival with Angel's soul in hand, Wesley became the center of attention. His appreciative audience peppered him with questions and compliments. 

Anya's, however, was the most pertinent. "We thought the soul was lost. How did you find it?" she asked. 

"I didn't," Wesley replied. "Cordelia did. It seems Angel's son Connor had hidden it in a storage room. He apparently was never able to work past the fact that his father was a vampire, and decided it would be easier to kill him if the soul couldn't be located. He never counted on Angelus getting loose, of course." 

"So Cordelia went to get a bottle of Lysol and found a soul instead," said Dawn. "Cool." 

"We're in luck," Xander declared. "Willow can reensoul Angel with no problem. She's done it before, and she's way more powerful now than she was then. It'll be just like the last time, right? With the Orb of Thesulah?" 

"Not exactly," Willow replied, looking up from where she had been researching in a battered old book. "From what I've figured out, since the method of soul extraction was so different, the way to restore it has also changed. The soul will have to be in very close proximity to Angelus, and I have to perform an incantation plus I'll need special supplies that aren't available in town. I can order them, though, and they should arrive within a day or two." 

The cheers that followed this announcement grated on Angelus' nerves. Worse, excited chatter continued for what seemed like forever. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Hey, Buffy. I need to talk to you. Alone," he added pointedly. 

The others were still so heartened by Wesley's arrival that they willingly let Buffy shoo them away. Once they were gone, she turned back to Angelus. "So, what is it now?" 

"Tell the others you don't want them to reensoul me," he urged. "You can't really want Angel back now, knowing what you do about him and Cordelia." 

"That's a matter for him and me to discuss. It has nothing to do with you." 

"Think about it, Buffy," he insisted. "Angel manages to regularly lose that soul without too much trouble. And all Spike had to do to get one was to go looking for it. If Angel had ever *really* wanted to get his soul anchored, don't you think he could have made more of an effort? Yet he never did. Food for thought, huh? And if you did bring him back for some reason, his return would unbalance the world even more. You need me, not him. You'll never get rid of the First Evil without my help." 

"We'll find another way to win. Your solution can't be the only one." 

"Fine." Angelus proceeded to his fallback argument. "If you won't stop the reensouling, then set me free. I know you have the key. I'll leave and go back to Europe. I won't even kill any of your friends on the way." 

"Sorry to turn down such a generous offer, but I couldn't do it even if I wanted to. The others would never understand." 

"You can't live your life based on whether others will understand your choices. Look at me. I never have. Anyway, it all comes down to the fact that if you don't have me on your side, you'll lose. As simple as that." 

Buffy hesitated. Then: "We'll find a way to win," she repeated as she walked away. "We always do." 

"Not this time!" Angelus yelled after her. 

Buffy glanced over her shoulder but then proceeded on. 

Alone, Angelus kicked at the bars of his cage. Now what? Buffy had been his best hope. After her rejection, he was forced to move on. However, coming up with a workable escape plan when one was imprisoned in a cage, surrounded by enemies, was not an easy matter. Frustrated, he glared at the soul-in-the-box across the room and directed his monologue at it. "I hate you. What did I ever do to deserve being the one vampire in the world who just can't get rid of his fucking soul for once and for all? Spike doesn't count. He actually *wanted* his. Should have known spending all that time around Drusilla would drive him crazy, too. If only I could go back in time and forget I ever laid eyes on that loon. Would have saved me a huge amount of trouble." He was just warming up when Willow entered the room. 

She eyed him curiously. "Who were you talking to?" 

"Never mind." 

Willow slowly looked around, stopping when she came to the box on the mantel. "I think I'll just transfer that out of the house to a safer place until I need to use it." As Angelus helplessly watched, Willow carted the soul out of the room, and his reach. 

***** 

No one went out on patrol that night. They were too busy talking with Wesley and discussing fresh ways of battling the First. At around 3 a.m., though, Buffy called a halt to the racket. "We can get back to work after we've all gotten some sleep." 

"An excellent idea," Wesley promptly agreed. "Which bed is mine?" 

"Bed?" scoffed Dawn. "I've almost forgotten what one of those is. Quarters are pretty cramped around here. Do you know how many people are staying in this house? We sleep wherever we can find an empty corner." 

"That reminds me," said Anya. "Some of the Potentials told me they don't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room as Angelus. We need to find anyone who's willing to be near him tonight." 

Andrew's hand shot up. "Me!" All eyes flew to him. He slowly lowered his hand. "I mean, I guess I could do it. I'll sleep with a stake under my pillow, of course." 

"Okay, then," Buffy said. "I guess you're in." 

In the end, Wesley, Andrew, Buffy, Dawn, and five of the braver Potentials camped out in the living room with Angelus. When he awoke that afternoon, it was to the sight of a fresh bag of human blood lying inside his cage. His special meal plan was proof that Buffy had a soft spot for him, soul or not. From the smell of Spike's food, it was obvious *he* was still stuck with pig's blood. 

Angelus slit open the bag with a fang and gulped down his lunch. He felt a new surge of confidence. He'd failed to escape so far, but it was a new day and he wasn't about to quit trying. Who could he most easily convince to help him? His busily working mind settled on Spike. 

Sooner or later, everyone had to go through the living room. About a half hour later, it was Spike's turn. He started to walk right past Angelus' cage like it didn't exist. 

"Spike!" Angelus called, to no reaction. "Hey! Spike! As your grandsire, I command you to come here!" 

Spike didn't even slow down. 

"All right, you bastard, just wait until I get free," Angelus threatened. "I'm not Angel, and I don't forgive or forget." 

At these words, Spike hesitated before he appeared to shrug them off and leave the room. 

Hadn't gotten through to Buffy. Hadn't gotten through to Spike. Most of the others were a lost cause. That didn't leave much choice. Angelus impatiently waited a few hours until Wesley circulated back into the living room. 

"Psst!" he hissed, trying to attract Wesley's attention but not that of several nearby SITs. Wesley looked over at him. Angelus nodded. 

Cautiously, Wesley approached the cage, hovering a hair out of reach. "What do you want, Angelus?" 

"I've been thinking, Wes, so just hear me out. I didn't kill you when I could have and that's got to be worth a favor, right? All I need you to do is to pretend to pull some prophecy out of your ass that says restoring my soul would destroy the world and you shouldn't do it. Come on, give a demon a hand here." 

Wesley eyed him coldly. "I'm hardly feeling charitable toward you at the moment. You murdered Connor, your own son." 

"Was that really such a horrible thing? Any child of Darla's couldn't be all good." 

"You would gladly have killed me if you'd had the opportunity," Wesley pointed out. "I won't help you, Angelus. Ever." 

There was no give on that angry face. "Should have eaten you when I had the chance," Angelus snarled. 

He had pretty much run out of options when dusk arrived and everyone once more gathered in the living room. Buffy began to deliver another speech, though thankfully this one was not nearly as pompous as her last one had been. 

"Okay, everyone, time for patrol. We're going to kick some ass tonight. And since we skipped patrol last night, we have to make up for it now. We'll go out in two shifts. Dawn, Spike, Wesley, Willow, and half of the SITs come with me now, and the other half of the SITs will come when we get back. Xander and Anya, can you two stay in the house this time to keep an eye on things?" 

The two agreed, and those who were going out distributed weapons and departed. The leftover Potentials sat around the living room like a huge, useless clump, until one of them stood up. 

It was Kennedy. "Right, girls," she said decisively. "We need to get warmed up, so we'll go train in the basement for a while. I'll put you through your paces." 

A chorus of groans sounded as the other Potentials pushed themselves up and trailed Kennedy downstairs. Only Anya and Xander remained in the room with Angelus. Anya stared fixedly at the cage. Quite some time passed in this manner. 

Continuing to plot, Angelus began to calculate the number of people still in the house. If he could account for all of them and be sure they were out of his way, he might stand a sliver of a chance at escape. He then realized that he couldn't figure out the whereabouts of one particular person. "Where's Giles?" he broke his silence to ask Anya. "I haven't seen him all day." 

She shrugged. "Probably off collecting another Potential from some random corner of the globe. He's only around here about half the time lately, but we don't talk about that much." 

"Anya! Don't talk to the evil vampire!" Xander scolded. 

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? It's not exactly entertaining around here." 

"I have a few ideas," Xander suggested. "And none of them involve Angelus in any way, shape, or form. You know, we don't need to wait right here the whole time everyone's out." 

"When Buffy said to keep an eye on things, she was talking about Angelus." 

"Ahn, come on, what kind of trouble can he get into?" Xander whined. "He's sealed in that cage and he doesn't have any hope of escape. I'm sick of sitting here looking at his face when we could be doing something a lot more fun. This house is as empty as it's ever going to get. If we wait, we'll never have any privacy." 

"I don't mind." 

"Well, you might be okay with the idea of having an audience, but I am not." 

At this, Anya gave in. "Fine. If it makes you feel more comfortable." 

She and Xander halted their vigil and were headed out of the room when the doorbell rang. Xander cautiously answered and then stepped back from the door with a package in his hand that he made sure to display to Angelus. "It's a delivery for Willow. I bet I can guess what this is." He smiled malevolently. "When she comes back from patrol, guess who's getting his soul back?" With a last nasty look, Xander retreated upstairs with Anya. 

It was the moment Angelus had been waiting for, and he immediately set to work testing each of the bars in turn. Surely he could find a weak spot somewhere and gain his freedom that way. Sadly, though, he failed even after trying each bar twice. Much as he despised the thought, he might be doomed to be reensouled. No one would assist him and he couldn't break himself out. He seemed to have run out of options. 

He paced the cage, desperately thinking. And then he saw it. Someone was hovering just outside the room, spying on him. The figure shifted and Angelus caught a glimpse of a face. It was meek little Andrew, whose existence he had failed to account for earlier. The thought of using Andrew had never seriously entered his mind before. Now it did, with a vengeance. 

Quickly coming up with a makeshift plan, Angelus sighed and lay back in a corner of the cage, doing his best to look unthreatening and depressed. A minute slowly ticked by, and then it happened. 

Andrew crept into the room. "Angelus? Are you okay?" 

He paused for a long moment before replying. "Not really. It's very frustrating to be confined like this when I could be out there fighting and helping against the First Evil. I'm pretty strong, you know." Angelus deliberately flexed a muscle. 

Andrew stared. "Oh, yeah, I can tell." 

"If only I could prove to everyone that I can be trusted," Angelus went on mournfully. "All I need is one chance, but no one will give it to me. No one will even try to believe in me." 

"I do," Andrew whispered. 

"Really? You're the only one. I feel so much better, knowing even one person has faith in me. Unfortunately, that doesn't do much good. I'm still trapped and helpless to prove myself. If only... But no, that's impossible. You would never trust me that much." 

An intake of breath followed, before Andrew asked, "What?" 

"It's just, well... But that could never happen. How could you ever get me out? I'm sure no one told you where they hid the key to this cage." 

"Oh." Andrew shifted, came closer, and stopped again. "Getting the key, you know, that isn't so much of a problem." 

"What?" Angelus eagerly sat up, causing Andrew to step back. 

"Um, I said, I kind of have my own key. I snuck Buffy's out of her coat pocket and copied it. Just in case." 

The situation was better than Angelus could have dreamed. There he was, hoping the nerd might just try to steal the key, and Andrew already had a copy. If he played the situation right, freedom was within his sights. "You're in a position to help me redeem myself, then. That is, if you genuinely care." 

"Of course I care!" Andrew blurted, taking a step nearer. 

"Then you'll let me out?" 

Andrew hesitated. "Well, I don't know if that's such a good idea. Those guys locked you up for a reason." 

Wide-eyed, Angelus looked straight at him. "Come on, where do you think I'm going to go? What could I do? I'm in this all as deeply as any of you now. In fact, Anya told me you used to be a prisoner just like me and now you're free and contributing to the cause. We have a lot in common. Besides, with me in here and you out there, it's not so easy getting to know each other better." 

Andrew bit his lip indecisively. Then, with trembling fingers, he dug the key out of his pocket and inserted it in the lock. The door swung ajar as he withdrew the key. 

Slowly, while making sure to maintain reassuring eye contact with Andrew and to look as calm as possible, Angelus stood and crept out of his prison. Finally he was fully out; free at last. He smiled at Andrew. "Thanks for the assist, moron." With one powerful swipe, he sent Andrew headfirst into the wall and allowed the body to drop to the floor. He hadn't killed the fool, just knocked him unconscious. Andrew was such a nonentity that it was hardly worth the bother of draining him. Besides, Angelus had other targets in mind. He also bypassed Anya and Xander, who were still occupied upstairs (he didn't want to think about what they were doing). Instead, he proceeded toward the basement, where he opened the door and listened from the top of the stairs. The Potentials were deep into a training routine, with Kennedy driving them. 

From his sheltered position, Angelus heard her ungodly screech of, "What do you think you're doing, maggot? That's way too slow! Drop and give me 20!" 

He grinned around his fangs and leaped down the entire flight of stairs in one bound. Buffy would be angry at first, but once she understood his reasoning and saw the results, she would understand. 

The first girl, a broken neck later, never knew what hit her. Maggie, Amber, Emily, and Jessica followed in quick succession. Several of the others tried to run, while a few attempted to put up a fight. None lasted long. Julie died from massive head trauma. Rose was unable to survive after her heart was wrenched out of her body. A girl whose name he'd never bothered to learn was the victim of an extra-hard bite. One by one, Angelus plowed through them all until only Kennedy stood. He had deliberately saved her for last, and she didn't even have the presence of mind to scream. 

Her lack of fight was a little disappointing, but killing her would still be tremendously satisfying. Angelus grabbed her and yanked her close, then poised his fangs over her neck. Kennedy hung, paralyzed. Just as he was about to bite down, though, he heard the front door open upstairs and multiple sets of feet enter the house. 

Buffy and the others had returned from patrol. 

Making a lightning-fast decision, Angelus picked Kennedy up and sprinted up the basement stairs and out the back door, into the night. 

TBC __

_Next time: The First Evil makes an appearance, and Angelus decides what to do with Kennedy. _


	6. Deal

_Previously: Wesley arrived in town with Angel's missing soul, which Cordelia had found. Angelus desperately attempted to escape before anyone could reensoul him. His opportunity came when Buffy and most of the others went out on patrol. Angelus talked Andrew into letting him out of the cage, then promptly killed most of the SITs who had remained in the house. Just as he was about to finish off Kennedy, he heard Buffy returning. Instead of killing Kennedy, Angelus grabbed her and ran out the door._

Balance 5/? 

"Daddy, I'm back." 

Angelus warily slit his eyes open to see Drusilla swaying near the front of his hideaway, a cave hidden in the woods. Or rather, he saw something that looked like Drusilla. It wasn't really Dru, of course. It had to be the First Evil taking on her form. He closed his eyes and lay his head back. "Go away, you dingbat. The real you is annoying enough. And this 'Daddy' shit? Lay off. I've done the real thing and you do not want to remind me of that disaster." 

First/Dru ignored his comments. "Miss Edith told me to come back. She sees what lies in your future and tells me you should join up with the First." 

"Miss Edith is an inanimate object," Angelus replied without bothering to look at his companion. 

Silence ensued. It lasted so long that at length Angelus grew curious and opened his eyes again. Dru was gone this time, but now the form of Connor stood before him. "Oh, crap!" Angelus exclaimed, wishing he hadn't looked. "You know, I killed you for a reason. What are you trying to do, torment me with the sight of your ugly face until I agree to sign on just so I don't have to see you?" 

"Connor" began to pace in front of him. "If you don't, they'll bring Angel back. Team up with me, though, and your soul is gone forever, guaranteed. You're my real father. Join me. I was created for a reason. An evil reason. Together, we can rule the world." 

Angelus yawned. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll take my chances on my own." 

The fake Connor wavered and slowly morphed into another shape. "Maybe you'll listen to me, then," the Buffy-sized figure suggested. "You know you've always been obsessed with me. What better way to get what you want?" 

"Hmm, I don't know." Angelus pretended to think. "Go back to her house and take the real thing, maybe? That's just an idea, though." 

"If you go back, your soul will be waiting for you," First/Buffy warned. 

"Like I said, I'll take my chances." Angelus turned away. "Now, will you please fuck off and leave me alone so I can get some sleep? Thank you." 

In a snit, the First vanished, leaving Angelus alone. Or almost alone, as a whimper from the corner of the cave reminded him. He still had his prisoner, Kennedy, with him, though she was showing signs of wear. He sat up and speculatively eyed her. Her neck was scored with dozens of fang marks. Most were quite shallow, though a few were what he termed "drinking wounds." At the moment, Kennedy was his only decent food source. 

He considered and then decided that he really shouldn't drink anymore for at least another couple of hours. Kennedy was his hostage, and the point of having a hostage was to keep that individual alive as bargaining power. Though why anyone would value Kennedy enough to want her back remained a mystery to him. At any rate, he couldn't risk depriving her of too much blood yet. 

At least, this was what Angelus told himself for about five seconds. Then he reached into the corner, grabbed the snivelling girl, and yanked her close. Fear poured off of her in thick, intoxicating waves. Taking a deep breath of it, Angelus plunged his fangs into her neck and gulped down a hot mouthful of delectable AB negative. He was about to continue when the sound of a cracking branch called him away from his meal. Someone or something was approaching his hiding place. 

Tensed and prepared for a battle, Angelus shoved Kennedy away. She moaned softly but made no attempt to fight, run, or even crawl away. She would obviously be no factor in any sort of physical encounter. 

Ignoring his captive, Angelus inched nearer to the front of the cave. It was, unfortunately, a full hour until dusk; nevertheless, he maneuvered himself as close to the opening as he dared and searched his surroundings. It took only a moment before he placed the approaching human. It was Buffy, and he couldn't hear or smell anyone else nearby; she had come alone. It was a good sign. 

She then spotted him, or more likely, his eyes glowing at her from the darkness of the cave, and stopped. "Angelus, we need to talk." 

"Good to see you, Buffy," he greeted. "Had to admit, I thought you'd have a bit more trouble tracking me down, but maybe this way is best. Come inside." 

Slowly, Buffy did. She gazed around until she spotted Kennedy's huddled body in the far corner. "Is she still alive?" 

"For the moment," Angelus replied. "But she's a whiny pain in the ass, so don't expect her to last much longer." 

Apparently taking him at his word, Buffy hurried on. "I want to make a deal. Let Kennedy go, and you can stay. No soul. You just need to show the others you're willing to give a little, and the only way to do that is to release Kennedy." 

"You really care what happens to this useless twit?" Angelus demanded. 

"Willow can't take another loss," Buffy explained. "Tara's death was incredibly hard on her. I can't stand by and watch her lose Kennedy, too. It isn't right." 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. The important thing is, what's in it for me? As I recall, you said, and I quote, 'no soul.' Why the sudden outburst of generosity?" 

Buffy bit her lip. "The truth is, we need your help with the First. All of us know this." 

"Even Xander?" 

"Xander knows it, even if he's not willing to admit it." 

"Okay, I've had worse offers." Angelus pretended to consider, while Buffy anxiously watched. "Tell you what. Give me some more time to think about it. If I agree, I'll let Kennedy go at sundown and I'll show up at the house after that. Just remember, if this is some sort of trick, if you stuff that soul back into me, you'll completely unbalance the forces of good and evil and doom the world in the process." 

Buffy nodded. "We know. Just let Kennedy go and everything will work out like it's supposed to." She backed out of the cave, then turned and ran off into the woods. 

Alone again with Kennedy, Angelus mulled over the offer. It all came down to one question: Could he trust Buffy? 

He thought about it for the next hour, until the sunlight faded away, and then he turned to his quietly crying hostage. "Kennedy." He poked her in the side. "Hey. Wake up there." 

She turned her tear-stained face toward him. 

"You have two choices: Stay here and let me slowly drain and torment you to death, or go back to Buffy's house and get fussed over like a precious little heroine. What'll it be?" 

Kennedy uttered a high-pitched moan and pressed herself against the cave wall. 

"Oh, hell! You're worse than useless." Angelus grabbed Kennedy's arm, dragged her to the front of the cave, and gave her a good, hard shove outside, watching dispassionately as Kennedy landed in the middle of a bramble bush. "Run along home, now. Before I change my mind." 

Whimpering, Kennedy picked herself up and began to stagger through the woods in the direction Buffy had taken. Satisfied that she was headed the right way, Angelus settled back in his cave to wait another hour. Deciding whether to take Buffy up on her offer hadn't been very difficult. After all, he wanted to see what happened next. 

_TBC_


End file.
